He chose two swats with a wooden paddle instead of two days of suspension.

"In my mind, the in-school suspension was essentially conceding to sitting down and shutting up, which is what the admin and school wanted to happen, to keep it quiet almost," Greer told CNN. "I felt if I stood up and took the punishment in an honorable way, that it was better than doing what they wanted me to do, which is shut up and go on with our lives."

"I don't think that they expected me to take the corporal punishment," he added.

Greenbrier Schools Superintendent Scott Spainhour said students were disciplined for walking out of class, which is against school policy.

Greer's mother tweeted about the incident.

"My kid and two other students walked out of their rural, very conservative, public school for 17 minutes today. They were given two punishment options. They chose corporal punishment. This generation is not playing around," Jerusalem Greer said Wednesday.

My kid and two other students walked out of their rural, very conservative, public school for 17 minutes today. They were given two punishment options. They chose corporal punishment. This generation is not playing around. #walkout